Gwernyfed have booked their place in the WRU Division 4 Cup Final after a thrilling victory over Neyland in a hard-fought semi-final at Newcastle Emlyn.

The victory marks a huge achievement for the club, as they look ahead to a showdown with old friends and rivals Seven Sisters RFC.

The match couldn’t have started better for Gwernyfed. After just two minutes, they were 7-0 up.

Fly-half Joe Winfield’s kick-off was perfectly executed, and the green, white and blacks pressured Neyland into mistakes. Centre Gethin Davies stripped the ball from his opposite number, setting up a ruck. Tom Griffiths moved the ball wide but was hauled down. Lock Tom Lloyd was on hand to feed Davies who arrowed a long pass to full-back Tyler Morris, who finished the move with a try in the corner. The score was met with a huge roar from the green, white, and black supporters, including Tyler’s father Rob and grandfather Brian, both former players for the club.

Neyland, a strong side in their own right, responded with a series of attacks but were met by solid defence from Gwernyfed, with Kelly Evans and Tom Millington leading the way.

Attempts at a direct route proved unsuccessful, but Neyland looked more dangerous when spreading the ball wide. However, their adventure in attack was undone when a loose ball was spilled on the Gwernyfed 22. Centre Dylan Skyrme capitalised on the opportunity, shrugging off tackles and sprinting clear for a magnificent try, leaving the defence helpless. Winfield’s conversion added to the agony for Neyland, putting Gwernyfed up 14 points within the first 10 minutes.

Despite the early dominance, Gwernyfed perhaps became too ambitious, opting for attacking line-outs over kickable penalties. These chances were squandered, and Neyland made them pay. After a series of powerful drives, Ben Williams crossed the line to reduce the deficit.

As halftime approached, Gwernyfed struck again. Will Eckley was hauled down just 10 yards from the line, and Tom Griffiths quickly released Joe Winfield, whose pass to Gethin Davies was perfect. Man-of-the-match Davies, with three men to beat, powered through to score.

In the second half, a standout feature was Winfield’s kicking, particularly his clearance kicks that relieved pressure and gained crucial territory. Gwernyfed continued to defend resolutely, and after a series of infringements from Neyland at a line-out, flanker Will Eckley took a quick tap penalty and charged over for Gwernyfed’s fourth try.

Neyland, in need of three tries to force a comeback, had the majority of possession in the final quarter. Despite some excellent handling, their attacks lacked the precision needed to break down Gwernyfed's defence. Key players like skipper George Williams and full-back Paddy Bellamy did their best, but the fresh legs of Gwernyfed’s substitutes, including Rory Mears, Craig Parry, Scott Rees, Kyle Davies, and Rhys Price, kept the defence strong.

Neyland did manage a late try, with George Williams crossing and Oli Rotheroe adding the conversion, but it was too little, too late.

This win and an impressive league record owe much to the work of recent coaches James Reynolds, Dave Roberts and Richard East, the foundations they laid now turned into an unbeaten side under the current coaching team of Lee Thomas, Alun Phillips, Gareth Dodd and Tomi Lewis.